TAPAS team meeting with the Asian Development Bank in University College Cork
On Friday September 20th, members from the TAPAS team attended a meeting between University College Cork (UCC) and University of Galway representatives of the Irish Forum for International Agricultural Development (IFIAD), members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and government delegates from Cambodia, Mongolia, and Vietnam. Enterprise Ireland were represented by Kevin Ryan and Thuy Anh. The meeting was held in the Council Room in UCC and was themed “Transforming Food Systems for Food and Nutrition Security in the Asia/Pacific Region”.
We were given an overview of the ADB’s work in developing Asia and the Pacific, and its relationship with Ireland by Michiko Suga. Robert Schoellhammer outlined the knowledge program within ADB and gave examples of partnerships between the ADB and universities around the world. Takeshi Ueda presented the current status of ADB operations in the agriculture, food, nature and rural development sectors. We then heard from the government delegates; Seng Tuy from Cambodia, Anar Enkhbold from Mongolia, and Nguyen Thanh Dam from Vietnam. They each outlined the key investment needs of the agriculture sectors in their respective countries.
After a short break, we heard about teaching and research in the area of food security in both UCC and the University of Galway. During this session, the TAPAS project was introduced by co-PI Prof. Charles Spillane. Dr. Pearse Murphy, TAPAS data scientist, showcased some achievements and use cases from the TAPAS project around the world. This highlighted how the application of satellite remote sensing data could be applicable to multiple use cases relating to the needs identified by the country delegates earlier in the day. The meeting concluded with a discussion on mechanisms to strengthen ties between the ADB, the two universities and the ADB member countries. TAPAS was highlighted as an innovative agri-tech solution, and we were encouraged by the ADB to engage with currently active ADB investment projects.